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Four in 10 abandon purchase for lack of information: study

Four in 10 (42%) shoppers say they’ve given up on an online purchase because they didn’t have enough information on the purchase, new research has found.

Meanwhile, 24% said they didn’t trust online product information as much as they did the information they were given in store, the GS1 UK survey of 2,000 UK adults found.

Almost 50% said they had given up on an online purchase because they didn’t trust the seller.

GS1 says it’s “critical” for retailers and brand information to give shoppers the information they require. For example, in food sales, shoppers may want to know about provenance and environmental footprint, consumer reviews or celebrity endorsement.

“In this context the benefits of product information standards for retailers, manufacturers and most importantly consumers, cannot be underestimated.”

He said GS1 UK was currently working to provide industry-wide standards that would work consistently across all channels, whether in-store, online or mobile, and cover all possible product attributes.

“In the online environment,” said Smith, “missing key information used for product identification is the equivalent of being out-of-stock in a physical store.”

In response, GS1 is looking to extend barcode numbers in order to create virtual linkages for product data, promotions, coupons and images. That, said Smith, would ensure consistent omnichannel experiences for consumers.

The company is also working with the Open Mobile Alliance to enable barcode scanning features to be built into mobile devices. A specification based on existing standards will be available to mobile device manufacturers later in the year.

“There’s no doubt that the rapid pace of digital and social media will continue to transform the way consumers think, behave and interact with each other and with businesses. For the retail sector, the implications are huge. Brand leaders of tomorrow will need to provide a seamless, integrated and trusted purchasing experience across channels, or risk losing out to others that do,” concludes Smith.

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